LOT 0116

Greek Silver Tetradrachm of Athens in Gold Pendant

CIRCA 454-404 B.C.

1 3/8 in. (24.36 grams, 37 mm).

Obv: head of Athena with profile eye to right, wearing disc earring, pearl necklace and a crested Attic helmet adorned with three olive leaves and a pi-style palmette. Rev: ΑΘΕ, owl standing to right, head facing the viewer, olive sprig with berry and crescent moon in upper left field, all within incuse square. Kroll 8; Dewing 1591-8; SNG Copenhagen 31; HGC 4, 1597; the coin enclosed inside a modern gold medallion pendant stamped '750' with double border.

Roma Numismatics, E-LIVE Auction 4, 29 November 2018, no.155.
Private collection of Mr K.A., France.
with Kallos Gallery, London.

This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no. 13024-246751.

Cf. Kroll, J.H., ‘Athenian Tetradrachm Coinage of the First Half of the Fourth Century BC’ in RBN clvii, (2011), pp.3-26 pls.Iff.

The Athenian components of several of the hoards in which these tetradrachms were found, together with other published and unpublished tetradrachms, make it clear that this coinage of c.400/390 to 353 was not only substantial, but was one of the most prolific Greek coinages of the period.